yep, those people

Free yourself

A new day starts every moment if you choose. And all we really have is now, so why not make it the best possible moment you can. It is strange, however, that the past and future can weave their way into each other and sometimes have the power to trip us up! For years I have dreamt of being a health coach but never took the leap. I have learned that it really

The Why

For years I have dreamt of being a health coach but never took the leap. I have learned that it really is due to the power of your mindset. People always came to me with health issues and seeking advice. Because I am so passionate about supporting others and I have been gifted with many abilities, the Universe always shows me the answers. But I had to find my own path in the blending of passion with livelihood. So here I am, an intuitive health coach, open to those who are ready to see wellness on the next level. If you feel called to complete your goals, revitalize your life, and set your passion on fire, make an appointment with me and lets talk!

Next Step

So here I am, an intuitive health coach, open to those who are ready to see wellness on the next level. If you feel called to complete your goals, revitalize your life, and set your passion on fire, make an appointment with me and lets talk!

I offer a three-month basic package. It takes time to change our patterns, re-wire our brain, and feel the change in a positive way.

If you have very specific inquiries or resources you would like me to locate, we can set up a plan based on an hourly rate.

Begin

Fill out the contact form here and beginning your journey: Coaching Form

Services & Formal Infomation

The client will be provided with weekly coaching via telephone unless otherwise specified by the coach (Jem). The coach will call you at the agreed upon time to begin the call. If you do not answer, you are allowed one call back five minutes after the scheduled time or the appointment will be canceled.

Our time and day is: _______________. Coaching call will be 60 minutes in length and a follow-up email will be provided. You should have a pen and paper available for notes.

The purpose of the coaching session is to provide the client with information based on their defined goals. The coach’s years of experience in various areas of health and wellness will assist in defining and achieving set goals.

The service includes but is not limited to:

Support for navigating conventional medical systems

Resources available and questions to ask your doctor, MD or ND, to advocate for your personal health

Saag!

Saag is a curry/gravy made from spinach and spices. There are many variations and you can spice it up with cayenne pepper or chili flakes. Chopped cilantro is always a great addition too.

Our family enjoys the Crepes with ground beef and cumin seeds, with Saag on top. Quick and simple! This recipe makes about 1/3 cup for 4 people.

This recipe incorporates 5 Mushroom Blend by Harmonics Arts. The flavors compliment each other and it’s a great way to benefits from the amazing properties of mushrooms! The dual extracted blend contains Reishi, Cordyceps, Coriolus (Turkey Tail), Chaga & Lion’s Mane.

Ingredients:

Oil or ghee — 2 tablespoons

Onion, chopped — 1

Garlic, minced — 6 cloves

Ginger root, minced — 1 tablespoon

Coriander, ground — 2 teaspoons

Turmeric — 1/2 teaspoon

5 Mushroom Blend by Harmonic Arts, 1 teaspoon

Spinach, chopped — 1 pound/clam shell of prewashed spinach

Salt — ½ to 1 teaspoon

Water or chicken stock– 1 cup

*Cream or Yogurt (optional) — 1/4 cup

Method:

Heat the oil or ghee in a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent.

Add the garlic, ginger and spices and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the spinach, water/stock and salt and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to puree.

Stir in the optional yogurt or cream and return to brief simmer and immediately remove from heat.

Adjust seasoning and serve.

The Importance of Real Dairy!

*Most store bought creams and yogurts are pasteurized and homogenized, using toxic processes degrading the nutrients in wonderful cow’s milk. Seek out fresh milk from safe, trusted sources. There is a rich history in the healing qualities of mammal milk and how it became banned for sale (not consumption) in certain countries. Another topic to investigate is A1 compared to A2 milk! That is for another post though.

We are on Week Two of following the 30-day plan in A Mind of Your Own by Dr. Kelly Brogan with my focus group. I should note I completed the program and am leading a small group through the four weeks – my second family. The Universe synched up and allowed me to share my passion and support so they can feel and be their best selves. Gratitude and love, and humor! What a gift their friendship is.

Chapter 8 really needs a good read over if you aren’t familiar with the basics of why 99% of our body and home products are contributing to our demise in health, ecosystem, and relationships. Everything we put on our skin reaches every single cell in our body. Everything that goes into our mouth, makes up every cell of our body. To think those parabens and fragrance don’t affect every cell is simply short-sighted and foolish. So here is part one of three: Cleanse The Body

1. Dry Brushing is a technique to encourage lymphatic draining and skin exfoliation. With a dry skin brush, start at your foot and with sweeping strokes, brush your skin in the upwards direction. The goal is to move everything to the heart. Repeat on the other leg, then torso, arms, and chest. Skip the face and don’t forget your backside! There is lots of different advice on when to do this, just do it, though. Add it into your routine, have the brush sitting out ready to go. If you need more encouragement, research further!

2. Bentonite Clay is great for face and neck masks, armpit packs to help draw out toxins and for a cleansing drink. People get a little weary when I say I drink clay, but I have found no adverse reactions in the literature. Dr. Price’s book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration tells his experience with other cultures regularly consuming clay with meals. Wellness Mama has a great post on issues with clay, so check out the information and make your decision. I use Redmond Clay for my body and drink. A tip I have come up with: Bentonite has a negative charge which is great but metal counters that effort. So use a nonmetallic spoon to stir up your drink.

3. Coffee enemas! All that effort and withdrawal of coffee from week one and now you have to make coffee! It will feel like temptation at first, but by now you are feeling so good without it. The Healthy Home Economist has a great post going into lots of details too.

It is helpful to understand why you are laying on the bathroom floor full of coffee: your liver! The goal is to cleanse and support the liver. The colonic effect is the bonus: getting rid of some of that sludge in our bodies.

Thieves cleaner for the bathroom floor cause you will see the dirt you never noticed before and as for the toilet…. you will be cleaning it.

After brewing the coffee, I add the same volume of filtered water because the caffeine really does effect me. So keep ratio and time of day in mind.Lay on your right side, let the coffee flow for just 3-5 seconds then stop it. Turn onto your right side and hold as long possible, often it is not too long the first time! Release into the toilet and then repeat and hold the coffee inside for the 10-15 minute. The link to The Gerson Institute has tips on how to support cramping if that is an issue. Lots of deep breaths and relaxing for me.

My focus group is presently at this stage and their feedback has been invigorating and inspiring, to say the least. Once you begin to open your eyes and heart to the healing of your own body, you start to experience the sacred energy of life flowing through you. For some, this is groundbreaking and encouraging enough to do whatever it takes to continue on this path. For others, taking such a deep responsibility for your own well-being is truly the biggest gift you could give yourself.

It is all about balance with our food today; so much is lacking in nutrient availability compared to common foods in our ancestral roots, but we can’t be spending all of our time and money worrying about what to eat.

At the very least, I try to achieve that balance through the ingredients in my smoothies by using whole foods from around the world. Enjoy!

Notes:

*I firmly believe in the Eastern practices of eating warm foods, keeping the fire in our belly going, and not putting it out with cold foods, especially outside of the summer season.

**Consuming raw egg yolks is up to you. I source pastured grass-fed, bug eating, happy chicken eggs- not in a cage or being fed soy, even organic soy. Connect with your local Weston A Price Foundation chapter leader to help you source high-quality eggs. You might want to investigate why egg yolks are an amazing source of nutrients too!

Ingredients & Directions:

and flavours: any nuts, berries, superfoods, bee pollen, or Young Living essential oils

In a double-boiler, melt the cacao paste and cacao butter together. Turn off heat once melted and add in sweetener and salt. It is a bold flavor but try not to over sweeten.

Separate into different bowls if making several kinds, such as a peppermint or orange flavor. Use 5 drops of YL essential oil to start, building to the desired flavour.

Add in any superfoods: Chaga powder, maca, or bee pollen for example. The possibilities are endless. Spoon into the trays. Sprinkle with nuts and/or berries into trays.

Place into the freezer. I find placing the trays on a cutting board or baking sheet & clearing space in the freezer before I have the chocolates in my hand very helpful! About 10 minutes later, they will be set.

Pop out of the molds and store in a glass container in the fridge or freezer. Enjoy!

Oh, and rinse off the extra chocolate with hot water in the sink–don’t just place them into the dishwater.

Why Using These Essential Oils Matter

Our family uses Young Living Essential Oilsbecause they really have no competition. The company uses total transparency in regards to which farms the plants come from in each bottle that you can have delivered to your home. My good friend began using these oils and when I saw the difference they made in her life, I tried too. Theraputic grade, small batches, beyond organic, and truly divine!

Membership is free, it’s simple to order and there are tons of products to try with a great community of people sharing their passion. Plants heal and plants keep us healthy! If you would like to experience Young Living Essential Oils, click the linkand follow the steps to enroll as a wholesale member.

Essential Rewards is the wisest way to go, but it is one of many options. Our family uses oils daily for many different purposes and Thieves is our only cleaner now, especially with how important it is to keep chemicals out of our space. With our Essential Rewards points, we get a lot of free products for our home, delivered to our door, and we are always adding to our oil collection.

Tangerine, peppermint, orange, cinnamon, and ginger are a must for chocolate making.

I will also be adding recipes with how to prepare delicious fillings for the chocolates:

peppermint patties,

peanut butter cups (the only time we have real peanuts)

cashew-based cinnamon treat

Turkish Delights with rose powder and real gelatin

What are you excited to try? Any suggestions for more chocolate treat recipes? Please post below!

Extras: 3tbsp of high-quality organic nut butter, other powdered superfoods or herbs, colostrum powder, real milk if consuming dairy. Also, Dr. Kelly Brogan adds berries to her smoothie. I make another berry smoothie with no cacao powder because I prefer the berry and chocolate taste separate.

*Consuming raw egg yolks is up to you. I source pastured grass-fed, bug eating, happy chicken eggs: not in a cage or being fed soy, even organic soy. Connect with your local Weston A Price Foundation chapter leader to help you source high-quality eggs. You might want to investigate why egg yolks are an amazing source of nutrients too!

Water. Such a complex topic for something so simple. I could write pages on the subject but will keep on point! If you want to go deeper, David Wolfe has some great talks on living waters. Just start putting the intention out there and someone will show you a local spring.

Ideally, we are drinking fresh water from spring, but I am in the city and have kids. Enough said! Little steps right. So we have our Berkeywater filter almost set up from our past move, but it needs new filters and well, they are reasonably priced but it has to wait. So we get those big bottles of water from the grocery store, sourced from a local spring on Vancouver Island. I can live with that.

Dr. Kelly Broganrecommends half our body weight in ounces of water daily. Try it for a day. Try it for seven days. I found it difficult and came across a note about adding salt/minerals to the water. Instantly, it tasted better and I felt hydrated. I made a sole (so-lay) from a couple chunks of Himalayan sea salt rocks and a piece of Dead Sea Salt from a good friend. How much I take changes each day—1/2 tsp to 2 tsp throughout the day. Just don’t leave your glass around the house for your husband to drink from or he might spit it out! He simply does not need the salt and mineral intake I do, so it tastes terrible to him. Do take it slow and really listen to how much your body needs. If you want to know more about the health benefits of Sole, Wellness Mama has a blog on it. You can buy sea salts hereand have them shipped to you.

Concerned about too much salt and other myths surrounding the topic? Chris Kresser’s blog has more information and studies of how real salt is vital for health. Again, trust your taste buds! I do not force myself to drink plain or sole water. I do consciously and purposefully have water available, though.

I know starting my day off with the Sole supports my thyroid and adrenals glands, fuels my desire to drink more water, and is one of the little rituals that grounds me. Rhythm and routine: very understated by the average person on the power of positive habits. It is a new mindset, replacing coffee or tea with a new morning pattern. Plain water was not doing it more me! Now my sole in warm water, some days a littleorganic unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, then begin making my morning smoothie(really, an amazing version of a chocolate shake). And I give a little thanks to the Sole; gratitude for the solace and peaceful moments, especially when my two wild children ‘helping’ me make breakfast aka cracking eggs all over the floor.

I could eat these every day. Well, in all honesty, I kinda do! I can do without a lot of conventional foods but I needed that doughy, crispy, crepes quota to be fulfilled. Our family is always trying to add more veggies and fiber to our plates. These crepes are packed full of nutrients & there is something so satisfying and delicious about adding these wanna be savory pancakes to complete a meal. Arrowroot flour is grain-free and tolerated by many with inflammatory issues. Perhaps try a small amount and see how you react.

My morning whole-food shake leaves three egg whites to be used up and Dr Kelly Brogan’s 30 day meal plan breakfast encourages people to have roasted veggies with their breakfast. Also as mentioned in Dr Kelly Brogan’s book and in other sources, yams, sweet potatoes, and squashes are very healing and nutritious. Problem: leftover egg whites and adding more roasted veggies to my diet. This is my solution for leftovers and nutrient dense foods! So with those egg whites, I adapted them to a savory crepe based on the book Super Nutrition For Babies Doughnut Crepes recipe, which are also amazing. Personally, I stay away from bananas to keep my blood sugar stable, so the doughnut recipe is for special occasions only.

Oh and the lard! This really is a key factor in the recipe. Sourcing grass-fed lard can be a hunt in Canada, but that white gold is so worth it. If you really can not source some or if you are an American reader, check out OneStopPaleoShop.com for lard delivered to your home. More and more, the information is coming out that the books were cooked when condemning saturated fats previously! Lard, tallow, duck, chicken, goose and coconut oil are all amazing sources of fat soluble vitamins. Seek out your local Weston A Price Foundation Chapter Leader to help you source grass-fed meats and fats too. Also for this recipe keeping the pan below smoking point (medium heat on my stove) and not walking away from the stove while cooking is important! They cook within minutes.

Arrowroot crepes

3 egg whites

1/3 cup arrowroot starch

1 cup squash, yam, sweet potatoes

1/4 cup-1/2 cup of water or bone broth. Depends on the squash used.

salt to taste

2-4 tbsp lard for cooking

Blend together with an immersion blender. Consistency is runny, pours easy, and thin. After pouring into the hot pan with lard, flip over when little bubbles are seen all over the crepe. If it starts to tear, wait longer to flip.

This recipe is very forgiving! I have used every ratio of ingredients, whole eggs, combinations of squashes and other roasted veggies like carrots and cauliflower (leftovers), and it always turns out great.

A powerful mineral and a friend in healing. The oceans are full of this mineral, but most soils are depleted. Magnesium is a supplement we have to take for life. Dr. Mercola has many great articles on the importance of magnesium.

This video featuring Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of The Magnesium Miracle is a must watch for empowering ourselves in learning the role of this essential mineral.

Did you watch the video? Okay, take some time and watch it. The information on calcium, heart attacks, and blood pressure is lifesaving, truly.

Magnesium kept making itself known in my own life and I finally began taking it in the powder form by the brand Calm. Leg cramps in the morning: gone! Magnesium is well known for supporting tired, sore muscles. For full discloser, I came across information concerning arsenic levels in the product Calm. Check out these two sources and make your own decision: Labdoor Testing and Ben Greenfield website reply in comments from Natural Calm.

With more information presenting itself to me, I began looking more into the other forms of magnesium and where to source them. Food sources are always number one, but really, the soils are so depleted these days & I can only handle so many pumpkin seeds.

Epsom salt baths. 1-2 cups in a bath or less in a food bath. Several times a week

Mag water: Very simple to make, but tricky to find milk of magnesia with no additives! Even the pharmacists kept trying to tell me it had to have additives. Well, that is simply not true! For the Canadians, you’re welcome to call you local pharmacies or check out my Amazon.ca Milk of Magnesia link.

Two other important factors for really addressing magnesium depletion:

This drink addresses the potassium balance. Take the time to read the articles and keep yourself in balance!

2. Boron water: Boron really deserves its own post, so if you can’t stomach drinking the solution, people suggest adding 2 tablespoons to the bath. I made the solution and take it twice a day. Boron is a co-factor in magnesium absorption.

A little daunting at first, but so worth the effort! Go slow and divide up the doses throughout the day.

And most importantly: homemade chocolate!

Cacao is full of magnesium and really, quite magical. Fairtrade cacao paste and cacao butter, melted together with honey or some Grade B organic (based on what they use to clean the lines) maple syrup. Sea salt, bee pollen, maca powder, mushroom blends, and real cinnamon. The list is endless how many real healthy ingredients you can add to your homemade chocolates. I always have homemade chocolate in the freezer. The divine taste, the powerful medicine, and the pride in making such a special treat, blend together to create a sacred moment to be still and mindful.

So the first 30 years of my life, well were not full of vitality. Lots of fun and excitement, but really not too much in the way of purpose or thinking long term. To be completely honest, I didn’t really think I would make it this long in life. Glad I was wrong. Now I am thinking in a completely different mindset. I have at least 60 more years to love life. 6 more decades. 21,900 days. Wow. That is amazing because my list of goals is getting longer every day. And my ability to enjoy this moment, without worry about past or present, is increasing. For me, this is balance.

Tracing my maternal lineage brings a tremendous heartache and burden women can carry. My great grandmother ended her life and left 6 young children behind. The family tales is she drank lye. This still leaves me speechless. Lye. How dark and heavy she felt. And her oldest daughter, my grandmother, raised 7 children while in and out of hospitals from metal breakdowns. This situation left my mother, the youngest to be raised my the older girls, who were all afflicted with mental illnesses from schizophrenia to bulimia to personality disorders. So my mother did the best she could with my strong personality, but early on it was clear I was not the easy child she had hoped for. So the sad stories stop here, with me. I know one of my purposes, a mission given to me by the universe, is to bed the past and make peace for all those women who lost their mothers and couldn’t be a mother. To hear their pain, comfort them, honor them, wrap them up in a blanket of love, and let them wept unto they know peace. A wise women and herbalist I loved spending time with said she could see the women running around me when I sat in her presence. I feel them, tugging at me, sometimes maliciously, spitefully, like a child demanding attention. So, like a child, I don’t shun them, but I open my arms and let love wash us all away into vast ocean of being. And all is well.

How have I overcome the first 30 years of chaos? Grace from the Universe really. I have several moments where I certainly though I won’t make it out, and each time, I looked up and asked for help. Most recently, life weighed down so heavy, I just wanted to submit and stay still. But those women clamored on and ran their circles around me. I refused to settle for misery and depression. Refused to settle for another branch of the family tree to rot away. These women are my strength now. The guilt of having my children see and feel this pain though was tremendous. soul crushing. And it comes to a point where it will knock us down and want to never return, or force us to a better self. I could not do it alone. Not all the will power, desire, or thinking. It taking radical action and truly look at the whole picture. Mind and body are one. My mind was broken therefore my body was. serendipitous, a friend lent me a book called A Mind of Your Own by Dr. Kelly Brogan. I had listened to her talks before, thought they were great but thought I didn’t need her program since I didn’t take medication. I read the book and realized that fact mattered little and I needed to do this program. I had started 100 programs and completely 50% of all them. No follow through and ability to stick something out. This time was different. I didn’t want to walk out on life and leave my children heartbroken forever.

Finally, I completed something. It felt like years of failure and self-doubt melted away. 30 days and more, reading and rereading the book. Practicing, implementing,dedicating myself to it. 30 years, 30 days, now freedom. The clouds of depression, brain fog, chronic fatigue lifted. I see my triggers. I get hurt and worried, but I don’t crash into a tail spin. I stand in my own body and mind, clear and confident. Oh, my ancestors are proud. They beam with light and love from all across the Universe. The light and love are there for you too. 60 years of vitality. Today, a gift from the Universe.

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“You have been told that, even like a chain, you are as weak as your weakest link.
This is but half the truth.
You are also as strong as your strongest link.
To measure you by your smallest deed is to reckon the power of the ocean
by the frailty of its foam.
To judge you by your failures is to cast blame upon the seasons for their inconstancy.”
― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet